Research News: February 2013

JAMA 2013;309:63-70

Consumption of glucose reduces blood flow in the hypothalamus—the part of the brain that controls appetite and hunger—but consumption of fructose does not. Also, fullness and satiety are increased after consuming glucose, but not after consuming fructose.

This was found in a study of young healthy volunteers: 10 men and 10 women of normal weight. The study had a blinded, random order, crossover design, and all participants drank 75 g preparations of pure glucose or fructose. During the next hour, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to study blood flow in the brain, and a visual analogue scale was used to assess satiety, hunger, and fullness.

Consumption of glucose reduced blood flow in the regions of the brain that control appetite and reward, which in addition to the hypothalamus include the thalamus, insula, anterior cingulate, and striatum. Blood flow was reduced in the thalamus in response to fructose,